Zero crema on a good machine could mean stale coffee. Like someone once pointed out, it all starts with the beans. (Could be low-quality coffee, too.)

I have travelled a bit this year, and make a point of trying to find good espresso at my destinations. Suffice it to say that this objective isn't always acheivable, and that some of what I've gotten in the search has been spectacularly, irredeemably, undrinkably bad.

I suspect many would. "Milk hides all evil" is repeated a lot but in my experience milk may make espresso more palatable but it can't compensate for poor espresso. A latte made with poor espresso is a poor latte. If one can't tell between a poor latte and a good latte then that person's taste buds are probably shot.

frcn Said:

You did learn an important lesson, no? The best beans in inept hands can easily make a poor beverage.

Doesn't it suck to be a coffee geek? Sure we enjoy coffee in a way the laymen will never understand, we brew better coffee than most coffee shops (if not all) in the surrounding area, but at what cost? What happens when our grinder breaks (just yesterday), and we have to go to the store to buy pre-ground garbage (chock full o nuts... not too bad). Or we just don't have time for that morning cup and the nearest place is a dunkin donuts to get a cup, or a Quik Check for a cup of pre-made urn coffee (thank god they flavor it to mask the truth). How about having a nice family dinner at a relatives and putting your lips to a cup of watery stale beverage so hot it singes your tongue just to feign a smile when they ask "How's the coffee?" As an artist I come across many pretentious jerks but becoming one just makes me realize how frustrating it is to know something so simple that other people are oblivious to. And when I pay out the ass for a coffee beverage from some hipster coffee shop just to have a sour/bitter espresso blacker than Charlie Murphy served to me?

I would say ignorance is bliss: but every time I brew a cup of sweet dark nectar I find myself nodding my head with a smile beaming on my face and I say: "F*** yea that's good coffee."

"Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as Death, and as sweet as Love."

Nicholas, it should make you happy to know that portions of your last post made it on my facebook quote wall. Right next to Oliver Holmes, Jonathan Swift, some anonymous poet from the 16th century, and Anselm of Canterbury. Congrats and thank you :)

~Nick

There's a big difference between drinking coffee to wake up and waking up to drink coffee.

Doesn't it suck to be a coffee geek? Sure we enjoy coffee in a way the laymen will never understand, we brew better coffee than most coffee shops (if not all) in the surrounding area, but at what cost? What happens when our grinder breaks (just yesterday), and we have to go to the store to buy pre-ground garbage (chock full o nuts... not too bad). Or we just don't have time for that morning cup and the nearest place is a dunkin donuts to get a cup, or a Quik Check for a cup of pre-made urn coffee (thank god they flavor it to mask the truth). How about having a nice family dinner at a relatives and putting your lips to a cup of watery stale beverage so hot it singes your tongue just to feign a smile when they ask "How's the coffee?" As an artist I come across many pretentious jerks but becoming one just makes me realize how frustrating it is to know something so simple that other people are oblivious to. And when I pay out the ass for a coffee beverage from some hipster coffee shop just to have a sour/bitter espresso blacker than Charlie Murphy served to me?

I was afraid to add anything to this thread as it's start date was a bit ago....and then I realized it was quite honestly an epic conversation I could easily understand, feel deeply within my own limited experience, and cheer for all the others who added their special take or something more - adding to my enjoyment.

Having recently discovered I no longer fit the definition of who I though I was as a member of the daily workforce, I've been trying to re-imagine what I'd like to bring to the community around me. THAT brings the many edged sword out regards a love of quality coffees. It is simply so hard to get between the gushing lust and joy of new beans, better roasts, and ever new experiences at the cup; and the common waste land witnessed surrounding me of local geography and accepted: good enough.

Heh, thank the modern gods that be we lunatics in the desert can commune with one another - around the globe - as if we were sitting to a common table over a nice cuppa-joe.

I was afraid to add anything to this thread as it's start date was a bit ago....and then I realized it was quite honestly an epic conversation I could easily understand, feel deeply within my own limited experience, and cheer for all the others who added their special take or something more - adding to my enjoyment.

Having recently discovered I no longer fit the definition of who I though I was as a member of the daily workforce, I've been trying to re-imagine what I'd like to bring to the community around me. THAT brings the many edged sword out regards a love of quality coffees. It is simply so hard to get between the gushing lust and joy of new beans, better roasts, and ever new experiences at the cup; and the common waste land witnessed surrounding me of local geography and accepted: good enough.

Heh, thank the modern gods that be we lunatics in the desert can commune with one another - around the globe - as if we were sitting to a common table over a nice cuppa-joe.

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